Certain portions of Scripture seem to be etched more deeply into people's minds than others. Psalm 23 is definitely one of these, so also is I Corinthians 13 and Hebrews 11. The Sermon on the Mount, as Matthew chapters 5-7 is commonly called, is another. Its popularity may stem from its position near the beginning of the New Testament, causing it to be read more frequently than other parts. People know it well because of its clear teachings of the Christian way of life. The sermon on the Mount contains Jesus' description of what His followers should be and do, it comes closer to being Christianity's manifesto than any other single portion of the Bible.
Scholars debate whether Jesus actually gave the Sermon as a single discourse, but Matthew presents it as though it was.
Among other things, it contains the Beatitudes, brief illustrations on the spirit of the law, and advice about the personal and private nature of a relationship with God, including the so-called Lord's Prayer. It teaches us how to avoid the pulls of this world through trusting in God and seeking His Kingdom and righteousness before all other priorities in life. Chapter 7 includes the well-known Golden Rule in 7:2, a caution against judging, a warning to beware of false prophets and a final admonition to found ourselves on solid ground by not only hearing but doing.
In the last study we saw how the Beatitudes was related to the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians chapter 5. We also saw in Beatitudes Part 1 how the Beatitudes were part of the value system of the new covenant.
In the beatitudes, our Lord gives us a description or characterization of the true believer in terms of his relationship to both God and man .
Second, there is clearly an element of surprise or shock in the beatitudes. “The people listening to Jesus that day must have been spellbound from the very beginning. They must have been enthralled by the very opening sentence, for Jesus was telling them things which on the surface seem absurd.
He was actually saying that it was not the rich, the happy, the well-fed and the popular who were to be considered blessed , but rather the poor, the mourners, the hungry and thirsty, and the persecuted ones. Obviously, these descriptions are concerned primarily with spiritual and not material conditions. However, the fact remains that Christ was proclaiming the exact opposite of what most people would expect to hear. He was saying that those who would be His disciples must be willing to have their worldview, their priorities and even life be completely turned upside down. For every beatitude is in striking contrast to the character and conduct of the scribes and Pharisees.
The beatitudes, properly understood, reveal to us the fundamental difference between what a true believer and unbeliever is. The beatitudes are not a set of rules; but, rather, are descriptions of what Christians are supposed to be. They are descriptions of a life of daily repentance, of sacrificial living, of taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. In our day when the church and the world have so often been blurred by syncretism, the beatitudes are exceedingly important. They reveal a very clear cut distinction between believers and unbelievers. The Christian has a completely different outlook than the current world spirit. The very things that men of this world aspire to are condemned by the beatitudes. And the very things that our Lord expects us to admire, seek and long for are things that the world regards as weak, foolish and a waste of time.
It is wrong to interpret the beatitudes as if certain beatitudes were meant to apply to only certain disciples. In other words, some believers are called to be meek, while others are to be merciful, and still others are to be poor in spirit. No. All the qualities that our Lord sets forth are expected of each and every Christian; there are no exceptions. Just as Paul’s list of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit reveals God’s requirement for Christian character, the Savior’s nine beatitudes describe our Lord’s concept for every citizen of His kingdom. Therefore, all of us are responsible to study them, learn what they mean and apply them to our lives.
It is also important that we recognize that the characteristics in the beatitudes are the result of God’s grace alone. These descriptions, properly understood, are not possible for unregenerate men. They can only be produced by the power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and the continued work of God’s Spirit in sanctification. We must not for a moment suppose that the mere fact of being poor, and hungry, and sorrowful, and hated by man, will entitle anyone to lay claim to the blessing. The poverty spoken of is a poverty accompanied by grace. The want is a want entailed by faithful adherence to Jesus. The afflictions are the afflictions of the Gospel. The persecution is persecution for the Son of Man’s sake.
We shall now start with the first beatitude found in Matt. 5:3.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:3).
The occasion of the sermon is described by Matthew. John the Baptist had recently been arrested ( Matt.4:12). Jesus had withdrawn from Galilee and established His headquarters in Capernaum (Matt.4:12,13). From this time on, Jesus preached openly concerning the Kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17,23-25). He has also started His healing and preaching ministry. After spending the night in prayer, our Lord called the twelve to be His apostles ( Matthew 4:18-22).
The circumstances of this sermon would imply that our Lord’s teaching was directed to those who would truly be His disciples. Even though a crowd had gathered the sermon was addressed to these disciples. Someone as termed the sermon as the "Ordination sermon for the Twelve." Our Lord sat down to teach, assuming the authoritative posture characteristic of the Rabbis of His day. When our Lord taught, He taught as one qualified to interpret the Old Testament Scriptures.
Before we deal with the biblical definition of the “poor in spirit” we need to point out what the phrase does not mean. It certainly does not mean that the economically poor are specially favored by God. Although this interpretation is very popular there are a number of reasons why it must be rejected.
First, God repeatedly condemns people who are poor as a result of laziness and excess frivolity (cf. Pr. 6:6-11; 28:19). While economic blessings are promised to the diligent (Pr. 13:4), the lazy will go hungry (Pr. 19:15). Those who refuse correction will receive poverty and shame (Pr. 13:18). Those who refuse to work are lazy, wicked and useless (Pr. 21:25-26). Obviously, there are many people who are poor as a direct result of laziness (cf. Pr. 20:13; 24:30-34). God teaches that such people deserve their poverty.
The scriptures tell us that there is no virtue in being poor economically. The unregenerate poor are no closer to God than are the unsaved rich. There is no spiritual advantage of living in economic poverty. If poverty guaranteed spirituality, the poorest sections of cities and the large third world slums would be the most sanctified place to live in. However, everyone knows they are by far the most dangerous.
Having dealt with most common misconceptions regarding this beatitude, let us turn our attention to the true meaning or intent of our Lord in this passage. The expression “poor in spirit” is related to biblical humility, where a man sees himself as the Word of God views him. Such a man understands that he is guilty and polluted before God; that with regard to his own life record and heart or character he has absolutely nothing to be proud of. There is not one thing that he has done, or can do, to impress God or bring him into God’s favor. “He knows himself to be an entirely dependent being; he knows that ‘in him, that is in his flesh, dwells no good thing’ [Rom. 7:18] . The unregenerate man loves “the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16) and relishes a life of arrogant defiance against God’s throne. God is not in his thoughts and, thus, any idea of acknowledging his own sin and guilt or bowing the knee to Christ is totally out of the question. With Pharaoh he says, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice…?” (Ex. 5:2).
The word "poor" has a wide variety of meanings and applications in both testaments. The Old Testament uses five different words from the Hebrew language, while the New Testament uses two from Greek. However, these seven are translated into a large number of English words. Besides describing destitution, they appear in contexts indicating oppression, humility, being defenseless, afflicted, in want, needy, weak, thin, low, dependent and socially inferior.
Of the two Greek words translated "poor" in the New Testament, penes designates the working poor who own little or no property. People in this state possess little in the way of material goods, they earn what they have through their daily labor. A form of this word, penechros, describes the poor widow of Luke 21:2. Penes is used only once in the entire New Testament (II Corinthians 9:9).
However ,this is not the word used in the beatitude in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Here, "poor" is translated from ptochos, which literally means "to crouch or cower as one helpless." It signifies the beggar, the pauper, one in abject poverty, totally dependent on others for help and destitute of even the necessities of life. In Galatians 4:9, it is translated "beggarly." (KJV)
The poor then - in this beatitude- were people who recognized their utter helplessness . They recognized that nothing within their power could solve their weak state, thus they would eagerly reach out to others for assistance in rising out of their situation, as a beggar would .
Eventually, the word took on spiritual overtones because some began to perceive that these afflicted people often had no refuge but God. Thus David, a person we would not consider as defenseless, nonetheless says of himself in a situation where, he felt only God could deliver him, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6).
Those who will inherit the Kingdom of heaven are those who are fully aware that they have nothing to commend them before God. They recognize that they are spiritually destitute and they wait upon God for His deliverance and salvation. How different are the rich in this world’s goods who ‘trust in the deceitfulness of riches’ (1 Timothy 6:17).
Also they were different to the scribes and Pharisees who could pray, “God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11-12).
The Old Testament supplies the background to Jesus' use of "poor."
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound" (Isaiah 61:1)
He is not speaking of the economically poor but those who are poor in spiritual qualities or poor in terms of a relationship with Him.
In the beatitude "poor" does not stand alone; Jesus connects it with "spirit" to clarify His intention. Even as the economically poor are very aware of their need, so also are the poor in spirit. Yet a vast difference lies between this and being financially destitute. Poverty of spirit is a fruit not produced in the natural man, but a work of God's Holy Spirit in the lives of those He has called and is transforming into the image of His Son. . This is why an Abraham, an Isaac, a Jacob, a David or a Joseph of Arimathea, all very wealthy men, can be simultaneously poor in spirit.
To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge honestly and with understanding our spiritual poverty—indeed our spiritual bankruptcy—before God. We are sinners and on the strength of our lives deserve nothing but God's judgment. We have nothing to offer, nothing to plead, nothing with which to buy His favor. But upon profession of our faith coupled with repentance,
The Tax Collector and the Pharisee
Perhaps no parable that Jesus gave conveys this attitude better than the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus illustrates this attitude by not only showing the Tax Collectors attitude, but by contrasting his with the Pharisee's:
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a Tax Collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
First of all - who are the Pharisees and who are the Tax Collectors.
The Pharisees were the most influential of all the Jewish religious sects of Jesus' day. The word "Pharisee" literally means "the separated ones, separatists", which sums up the basic nature of their beliefs. they were the strictest legalists of the day, who pledged themselves to obey and observe all the countless restrictive rules, traditions and ceremonial laws of orthodox Judaism. they considered themselves to be the only true followers of God's laws, and therefore felt that they were much better and holier than anyone else.--thus they separated themselves not only from the non-Jews--whom they absolutely despised and considered pagan "gentile dogs"--but they even set themselves above and apart from their own Jewish brethren.
The Tax Collectors , on the other hand, were considered by their fellow-Jews to be the absolutely worst kind of characters!--for the tax collectors worked for the foreign occupier and ruler of Palestine - Rome. They were officially-appointed Jewish tax collectors for Caesar, and were therefore considered traitors by their brethren. The Romans would instruct the Tax Collectors how much taxes to collect from the people, and then the Tax collectors would charge more than that from the people and pocket the balance for their own income. So they were usually extortioners, cheaters and robbers of the Jews, and were therefore absolutely despised by their Jewish brethren who considered them the scum of the earth.
So when Jesus told this parable, comparing a Pharisee and a Tax Collector, he had chosen the two most opposite figures in the entire Jewish community. One had the reputation to be the best, the most righteous, the most religious, the most holy, the most godly of all men. (not that they were but they were considered to be) --whereas the other was looked on as the worst, filthiest, traitorous scoundrel imaginable!
And Luke in his introduction said that Jesus " spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."
Jesus' intention is to rebuke this self-righteous trust in the self, as well as self-righteous loathing of others. Not only do the self-righteous think they are safe from God's judgment, but they also habitually disdain others as not being as righteous as they are and therefore deserving of God's judgment. Although this parable involves the prayer of two people, it is not about how to pray as much as it is on how to be justified before God.
The Pharisee's prayer manifests his mindset People like him trust in their own works to gain salvation and eternal life, not trusting in Jesus Christ for them. They do not really think they need His sacrifice or help because they think they are good enough in themselves. So, they blow their own trumpets, making sure God knows how righteous they are. While kneeling before Him, they loudly vocalise all the good things they are always doing, and believe that He is impressed. They vocalise all their achievements so that not only God but the people around him would be impressed. They act as if God owes them blessings because of their good works.
The Pharisee glories in what he is ("I am not like other men"), what he does ("I fast twice a week"), and what he gives ("I give tithes of all that I possess"). Self is a prominent feature of his prayer—he uses the personal pronoun "I" five times—showing his great obsession with himself. He does not pray for others, and frankly, he has no interest in them other than to point out their faults. Not satisfied with commending himself, he disdains the tax collector as well. His prayer shows that he thinks of God as being impressed with his efforts.
The Tax collector's prayer on the other hand is the language of the poor in spirit. We do not belong anywhere except alongside the Tax collector, crying out with downcast eyes, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"
Everything the Pharisee says is true. He has set himself apart from others by his faithful adherence to the law. By his own standards as mentioned by both Luke and Jesus he was righteous (see Luke 18:9).
It isn't that the Pharisee is speaking falsely, but rather that the Pharisee misses the true nature of his blessing. As Luke states in his introductory sentence, he has trusted in himself. His prayer of gratitude may be spoken to the Lord, but it is really about himself. He basis his righteousness entirely in his own actions and being.
The tax collector, on the other hand, knows that he possesses no means by which to claim righteousness. He has done nothing of merit; indeed, he has done much to offend the Law of Moses. For this reason he stands back, hardly daring to approach the Temple, and throws himself on the mercy of the Lord.
Here is the essential contrast. One makes a claim to righteousness based on his own accomplishments, while the other relies entirely upon the Lord's benevolence. Rather than be grateful for his blessings, the Pharisee appears smug to the point of despising others.
In his mind there are two kinds of people: the righteous and the immoral, and he is grateful that he has placed himself among the righteous. The tax collector, recognizes as he stands near the Temple of his own great need. He therefore stakes his hopes and claims not on anything he has done or deserved but entirely on the mercy of God.
At the end of this story, the Pharisee will arrive at the Temple and leave the Temple thinking that he was righteous. The tax collector, however, will leave the Temple and go back to his home justified, that is, accounted righteous by the God. How has this happened? The tax collector makes neither sacrifice nor restitution. On what basis, then, is he named as righteous?
On the basis of God's divine mercy.
Poor in spirit is contrary to that haughty, self-assertive and self-sufficient disposition that the world so much admires and praises. It is the reverse of an independent and defiant attitude that refuses to bow to God—that determines to brave things out against His will like Pharaoh, who said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice . . .?" (Exodus 5:2). A person who is poor in spirit realizes that he is nothing, has nothing, can do nothing—and needs everything from the Lord, as Jesus said in John 15:5, "Without Me you can do nothing."
The Pharisee may not have been an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer; he may not have openly sinned as the tax collector did; and he may have fasted and tithed with greater dedication than most—but none of his good works could justify him (Romans 3:27-28; 4:1-3).
The thing that made the Pharisees so self-righteous and hypocritical was their pride!--they were too proud to confess that they were sinners like everyone else. In fact, they not only couldn't confess their sins, they couldn't even see their sins they couldn't admit that there was anything that could possibly be wrong with them, and therefore they became "blind leaders of the blind" (Matthew 15:14)
it's almost a relief to know you're bad, to honestly admit that you're not good. after all, God has said so in his word, that nobody is good! that's why the worst kind of people in the sight of God are those who pretend to be good and look down on everybody else. His word says, "there is none righteous, no, not one! therefore, by grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves. it is the gift of God, not of our own works or goodness, lest any man should boast." (Romans 3:10; Ephesians 2:8,9) we just need to be honest and confess, "I'm no good, I'm bad, I'm a sinner, of course I make mistakes!--anything good about me is only Jesus!"
God's idea of righteousness is not the supposedly sinless perfectionist, but the pitiful, hopeless, humble, sinful sinner who knows he needs God!--those are the ones He came to save! "for I came not to call the righteous," Jesus said, "but sinners!" (Matthew 9:13) God's idea of goodness is godliness--a sinner who knows he needs God and depends on him for salvation.--not the self-made, self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisees who think they can save themselves by their own goodness!
Poverty of spirit blooms as God reveals Himself to us and we become aware of His incredible holiness and towering mercy in even calling us to be forgiven and invited to be in His Family—to be like Him! This understanding awakens us to the painful discovery that all our righteousness truly is like filthy rags by comparison (Isaiah 64:6); our best performances are unacceptable. It brings us down to the dust before God. This realization corresponds to the Prodigal Son's experience in Luke 15:14 when "he began to be in want." Soon thereafter, Jesus says, he "came to himself" (verse 17), beginning the humbling journey back to his father, repentance and acceptance.
Conclusion.
It is the realization of our utter unworthiness, a sense of spiritual need and destitution, that drives us to seek Christ to lift it. The economically poor gravitate to where they can have their needs met. Recognizing one's spiritual poverty parallels this, motivating us to seek to have that need supplied through a relationship with God.
Poor in spirit, therefore, describes a fundamental trait found in every son of God who earnestly seeks Him.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." This is how to cultivate this God-honoring attitude. We must do this because, while merely feeling lowly before God is insufficient, it nevertheless opens the doors to the awesome beneficence only God can give and indeed yearns to give.
He says in Isaiah 66:1-2: This is what the LORD says:
"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house that you would build for me, and where will my resting place be?
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came into being," declares the LORD.
"But this is the one to whom I will look favorably: to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my message. " ISV.
Those who possess poverty of spirit are pronounced "blessed." In one sense, they are blessed because they now have a disposition the very opposite of their natural one. This is perhaps a fundamental proof that God has begun working in them by His Spirit to create them in His own image. Poverty of spirit is part of the nature of our Creator, as Jesus affirms in Matthew 11:29. "take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."
To be poor in spirit is to have the disposition described in Isa. 66:2 -- "But on this one will I look; on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My Word."
